Atarashi Densetsu no Sannin
by Rotten-Prince
Summary: It was one thing for Naruto to be refused help by Kakashi. It was another thing entirely when the jounin all but throws away Sakura, with the chunin exams being only a month away. Naruto was no longer going to back down. He was going to make team 7 unstoppable. Now it is only up to Sakura and Sasuke to take his helping hand, and become legendary. The new Legendary Three.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. Is the Akatsuki a big happy yaoi harem with Naruto as their ultimate uke? No? Then I don't own it.**

 **WARNINGS: Contains minor foul language and violence. Mentions of abuse and child negligence. Will contain severe Kakashi bashing, minor Sakura and Sasuke bashing(but they will get better), and OOCness (Naruto is the most ooc). Strong Naruto (may seem godlike but with reasons), later stronger Sakura and Sasuke. May jump to others' POVs from time to time (I'll fix that if it really begins to be a bother).**

 **Set a month before Chunin Exams.**

 **Pairings: Undecided (I will take some suggestions from the comments, but NO harem!)**

 **AN: The first two to three chapters may be slow, but i promise to speed things up towards the actual exams! Just leave any suggestions for me in the comments! Now please enjoy the story!**

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"Ohayou Sakura-chan!" came a shout from a grinning blond running into training ground 7, alerting the other two occupants of the area of his presence. Much to a certain pinkette's disappointment.

'CHA! Naruto-baka ruined my chance at asking Sasuke-kun for a date!' her inner self growled, punching at the air randomly as she fumed. Outwardly however, she simply frowned in the blonde's direction.

"Don't be so loud baka! It's too early for your yelling!" she shouted, steam puffing out her ears as he cocked his head to the side innocently,

"Ah, but Sakura-chan. Aren't you being loud too?" he asked, his eyes big and innocent. Just for a moment she could have sworn she saw hidden sarcasm, but just as she tried to find it again, it was gone. She merely shrugged it off, rationalizing that the blonde was too much of a dobe to even understand sarcasm, or negative emotions in general. Aside from being annoying.

"Whatever! Sasuke-kun and I have been waiting here for Kakashi-sensei way longer than you. So we're just a bit peeved. And you coming in here all happy and cheery doesn't make it any better, baka." she growled, turning away from him in a huff, rolling her eyes at his disappointed whine.

By this time Sasuke had brought his attention back to the two, glaring at the whining blonde in annoyance, "Quite whining dobe. A true shinobi doesn't whine for simply being scolded."

Naruto growled, balling up his fists in a threatening manner, "Wanna say that again teme! I'll fight you here and now and show you who the true shinobi is!" he exclaimed, a tick mark growing on his forehead when the Uchiha smirked.

"Like a dobe like you could."

"Teme-!"

"YO!" came a puff of smoke in the center of the training ground, revealing a silver haired pervert who was(sadly) sensei to team 7.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Naruto and Sakura crying out accusingly, the latter punching the blonde, scolding him for copying her. The jounin simply eye smiled at his team, then in a flash presenting them with three pieces of paper.

"What is this for sensei?" Sakura asked as she took hers, frowning in confusion when she caught a flash of resentment flash through their sensei's eyes as he handed a similar paper to her blonde teammate, albeit reluctantly. Was that her imagination again? First Naruto and now Kakashi. Maybe her dieting was affecting her eyesight...

"These," Kakashi began, gesturing to the papers as he did so, "are your entrance forms for the upcoming chunin exams. After the mission to wave, I was impressed by the potential in this team. So, I decided to enter you into these exams in hopes of your promotion." he explained, though oddly enough he seemed to only be directing his attention towards the Uchiha of the team, tossing a quick glance to his other two students from time to time.

Sakura gazed down at the form nervously. It's not that she was scared of the exam, rather, she was worried about where her skills lie in order to even pass. So far, she has yet to perfect the academy taijutsu style that Kakashi insisted on her learn during training and she has no ninjutsu whatsoever in her arsenal. As far as she knew, Sasuke was the only one who Kakashi has taught any actual ninjutsu techniques to. How could she be of any help if she has nothing to fight with?

Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Sasuke too was looking down at the entrance form with hesitation. He was an Uchiha, an elite, so of course he wouldn't back out. Though these thoughts usually reassured him, he still felt uncertainty in the pit of his stomach. Kakashi has taught him a few fire jutsu here and there, and has sparred with him regularly, but he didn't feel as though he has grown at all since graduating the academy. He was not one to doubt himself, but he couldn't feel any improvement in himself at all. Sure he was more than likely the only one on the team to know any ninjutsu, and have regular training sessions with their sensei, but was that really a good thing? What if they were outnumbered during the exams? He couldn't rely on either Naruto or Sakura since they haven't had any sufficient training. Could he really support his whole team if the situation ever called for it? Sasuke could practically feel doubt crawling up his spine as he pried his eyes away from the form, turning his attention back to their sensei who continued to smile(as far as they could tell with the mask up), unaware of his students' inner turmoil.

"Are you sure we're ready for this exam, sensei?" the surprisingly composed blonde asked, much to his other two teammates' surprise. They would have thought he would be jumping up and down the walls in excitement of the challenge. To think he had asked the one question on their minds that they were too prideful to ask aloud.

Kakashi remained silent for a moment, his smile dropping for a flash second before returning, though appearing slightly strained, "I have faith that this exam won't be too hard for you, Naruto." he said, his smile turning into a smirk at the blonde's frown, "I also believe that Sasuke will have no problems with passing the exams. I have trained him for these very exams, and have faith that he will be one of the few promoted to chunin." he smiled at his raven haired student, oblivious to the boy's discomfort, though it was well hidden behind his impassive gaze. Naruto rose an eyebrow incredulously but said nothing more.

Sakura frowned slightly at this. Why hadn't sensei mentioned her being successful as well? She passed the academy with the highest written test scores. If anything, she had the actual brains of the team-

She flinched.

She never thought she'd have these types of negative thoughts towards her teammates, especially Sasuke-kun! Why were Kakashi-sensei's words bringing up such negative feelings?

Kakashi cleared his throat, "Alright, now that that's done with, I have the following weeks' schedule for us to go over. As I just informed you all, the chunin exams are in a few weeks, nearly a whole month away. In that time, I would like to cover sufficient training. Now Sasuke, I will be teaching you a few more ninjutsu, including one of my more personal techniques. I will also be sparing with you every other day and will be teaching you how to use your Sharingan to its full potential while at its current stage." he informed, handing over a folded piece of paper to the raven, revealing to be the training schedule he had just mentioned.

"Now if that's all, missions have been canceled for the upcoming exams, so I expect you all to train hard in that time. Dismissed-"

"Oi Kakashi-sensei. What about Sakura-chan and my training? All you did was mention teme's training with you. When will you be training us?" Naruto interrupted, oblivious to Sakura's relieved expression. She was glad at least on the them had brought it up.

"Ah, of course! Must have slipped my mind." he chirped, causing a sigh of relief to escape Sakura's lips. So he did have an actual training schedule for them as well. That was a relief.

Turning to the pinkette, Kakashi handed over a small book that read 'Medical Knowledge For Beginners' in bold red print, "Sakura, I expect you to read and retain this information. It has information on common poisons in Konoha and will help you treat any gained wounds on the team during the exams. Once you've finished that, please continue on with your practice of the academy styled taijutsu formation. That is all." Kakashi instructed, ignoring the flash of disappointment in his female student's mint green eyes.

"Now, Sasuke. Follow me and we will begin our training for the day. The rest of you, dismissed." he said absently, a familiar orange book already in hand. His eyes already glued to the page as he turned to leave, only to stop when Sakura called out to him,

"Wait sensei! What about Naruto? I know he's a baka and all, but you didn't tell him what you'll be teaching him." she called out, rubbing her arm nervously at a sudden tension that filled the training ground. She laughed sheepishly, "I know you're forgetful sensei, but you should really tell him what to do before you leave." she added meekly, trying her best to brush off the pressure the tension brought. She was mildly shocked when Kakashi merely scoffed,

"I didn't forget anything. I'm not going to be teaching him during this time." he stated, rather harshly for Sakura's taste. Both Sakura and Sasuke(though he wouldn't admit to it) were shocked at the tone in their sensei's voice. Why was there so much resentment there? Had the blonde done something to upset the usually lethargic and laid back jounin? A bad prank perhaps?

"What do you mean Kakashi-sensei? Why aren't you going to help Naruto? Aren't we all entering the exams?" Sakura asked, confused and mildly upset with how her sensei was regarding her blonde teammate so offhandedly.

Kakashi's eyes skimmed over his book absently, "His chakra control is awful and I don't feel like wasting my time with trying to get him to get up and actually train to control them. I have better things to do, such as training Sasuke, rather than wasting my time on Naruto." he stated bluntly, a sudden malicious glint passing through his visible eye before it dulled and returned to his book.

Sakura gaped, sputtering in surprise, "B-But sensei! Why won't you try and help him-"

"It's alright Sakura. I don't need his help. But thank you for worrying about me. Just do as he says and remember that book. We'll be relying on you during the exams to patch us up if we get ourselves into a mess." the blonde spoke suddenly, drawing their attention as he offered a small smile, much smaller than his usual large grins. The smile vanished however as he turned a cold stare to Kakashi, who sent a glare right back,

"And if you hadn't noticed, _sensei,_ I have gained perfect control over _all_ of my chakra. Even as large as my reserves are, I managed to gain perfect control over them without any help from you, _sensei._ And having Sakura continue on with learning the academy style, really? No disrespect to Iruka-sensei, but that style can be easily recognized and countered by an enemy with sufficient training. Instead of having her continue on with a style that could get her killed, _sensei_ , you should help her create her own style so as to keep the enemy on edge. Or better yet, maybe you should have at least recommended her to an actual medic nin so that she could learn something useful rather than reading a book that is mere child's play at being doctor. Not even a part time nurse would recommend that book to a beginner! Yet here you are handing Sakura-chan scraps of your so called _'knowledge_.'" Naruto hissed, his fists balled up, shaking as he strained himself to remain in place and not attack the glaring scarecrow.

Sakura stared at him open mouthed, glancing over to find Sasuke in a similar state. Since when did Naruto talk back to anyone? Their sensei no less! Also, Sakura couldn't help the flutter that erupted in the pit of her stomach. When she really listened to the blonde's words, he was all in all defending her. Even going as far as to reprimand Kakashi for his lack of care for her well being and training. She clutched the book to her chest, biting her bottom lip as she felt heat rise to her cheeks. When he wasn't yelling nothing but 'Sakura-chan', he could be pretty...sweet.

Sasuke gave Kakashi a suspicious glance, for once questioning the respected jounin. He had known for along time that the academy style wasn't well suited for Sakura, but said nothing as he himself was gaining sufficient training from their sensei. Though he had known the style wasn't that good for defense, could it have been so bad as to endanger Sakura as Naruto had said? If so, why would Kakashi continuously push her into perfecting it rather than teach her a style less predictable?

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the jounin's back. He was truly having doubts about this man who had the unfitting title of team 7's 'sensei'.

Kakashi's eye hardened, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the now closed book. How dare this...demon speak disrespectfully to him!

"Listen here, _genin,_ " he hissed, his body tensing at the challenging gaze of the blonde boy, "I am a jounin and your sensei, so I am well within my rights to teach my students whatever I deem worthy of teaching them."

Naruto scoffed, crossing his arms as he gazed on at the jounin with disappointment and pity, much to the man's ire, "If you deem what you just tossed to Sakura worthy, then you have no right to call yourself sensei, let alone a jounin and an ex-ANBU captain. Now if I were to ask you about what you would be training Sasuke in during this month, you would give me a full list of things that could actually aid a shinobi in battle. Though I can guarantee that most of what you plan to teach him will not only endanger him, but his comrades as well." he stated, his earlier expression of disappointment turning dangerously into anger as he looked on accusingly at Kakashi, who was smart enough to flinch back a good step.

"Tell me, Kakashi. What you plan on teaching Sasuke are things a genin, a hell bent vengeful genin at that, shouldn't be taught until high chunin or low jounin level. I bet you that 'personal technique' you plan on teaching him is some A-rank ninjutsu that could get him or his comrades killed, am I wrong?" he sneered, turning on his heel so he was no longer forced to look at the disgrace he called sensei, "Until he has learned to get over his quest for revenge, he will only bring harm onto himself and others." Glancing over to the Uchiha, he wasn't surprised to find the raven giving him one of his own glares. Unlike his usual loud reactions, Naruto only gave Sasuke a look that shocked him with the understanding it held,

"Giving up on revenge does not mean you have to give up your vow to avenge those who have fallen. You can train and continue to gain power in order to fight the one who caused you pain, but if you set your life on seeking out his demise, then you are not living the way you should be. I can't tell you to give up your goal, but I do know that revenge is not something you want to set you entire life on. Nor is it something your fallen family would want for either, i'm sure."

Sasuke gazed on at the blonde's retreating back in utter and complete shock. He had never heard such serious things come from the blonde's mouth, and he couldn't stop the shock making its way to his face. He could tell Sakura was just as shocked, if not more so at the wisdom their blonde had just displayed to them.

Kakashi, on the other hand, was not so impressed.

Kakashi shook with rage, his Sharingan spinning wildly behind his hitai-ate. He felt his rage only rise when he caught sight of the complete lack of respect and pity in the blonde's gaze as he looked over his shoulder once more.

"Where do you think you're going!" the jounin snarled, uncaring of the others' shocked expressions at the utter and complete rage in his voice. The blonde didn't show any sign of care for him however as he turned back around to walk away,

"I am leaving to gain some actual training. You have denied me of that long enough, so I am done pretending like I care. Make no mistake, this change in attitude has nothing to do with my want of your attention. I am simply done with hiding my true self and refuse to do so anymore." he turned to look at his teammates, his expression softening, if only slightly,

"I do not intend to abandon my teammates, but should you be the ones to abandon me, I will not help you." he said cryptically before turning back to leave, only to surprise the three when he left via a shunshin of blue flames.

 _'Where did he learn shunshin from? Kuso, no doubt he learned it from the Kyuubi. That brat.'_ Kakashi cursed internally, releasing his clenched fists as he turned his attention back to his remaining students, frowning when he noticed their shocked expressions. He will surely get that demon back for disrespecting him in front of them.

"Sasuke," he called out suddenly, breaking the two out of their trance like gazes as he reopened his book, turning in the opposite direction Naruto vanished in, "Follow me and we will have a short spar, seeing as how our training was so rudely interrupted just a moment ago. Tomorrow I will test your affinity and will be teaching you the first steps to that personal ninjutsu I promised." he instructed as he began walking to another training ground, expecting the boy to follow after him and for his other student to get the hint and go off to learn her medical book he, oh so graciously, gave her.

When he didn't hear a second pair of footsteps following behind him, Kakashi turned back around to find Sasuke staring at the same spot Naruto had left via shunshin. He eye smiled,

"Don't worry about that Sasuke. You have no need to be jealous of such a flashy display. I will teach you the leaf's standardized shunshin as soon as we've finished with our spar." he stated with a smirk, under the impression that Sasuke wanted to become stronger than Naruto. He would gladly teach the Uchiha if that were the case. Gladly.

Sasuke frowned, surprisingly not jealous by the display of power on the dobe's part. Rather, he was curious as to how the blonde was able to teach himself such a difficult technique without any form of instructor or sensei to aid him. He was not blind to the fact that the past instructors were extremely reluctant to teach Naruto anything, even something as simple as aiming kunai at a target. So he was sure no one was training the blonde at this moment. Had Naruto figured it out all by himself? If so, how was he able to do it? Though he was reluctant to admit it, Sasuke knew he was unable to break down a jutsu far enough so he may be able to teach it to himself without some form of instruction. Even with help, he knew it takes quite some time to master a jutsu. But by the look of it, Naruto not only mastered it, but altered it so it had some style.

Glancing back at the spot his teammate had just been in, Sasuke couldn't deny that he was now very curious about his blonde teammate. Maybe he could find him and have a talk with him about possibly having a spar sometime-

"Sasuke, are you coming? The sun is setting and I would like to have at least a few hours to begin teaching you my preferred style of taijutsu today."

Sasuke didn't turn to face the man, rather shoving his hands in his pockets as he began to head off in the direction of the village,

"I'm not feeling well today. I'm going home." he stated shortly before jumping off into the trees, grateful Sakura wasn't following him home for once. He would make sure he found the dobe tomorrow, but for now he wanted nothing bust rest. Watching your once dobe of a teammate turn into a completely different person in a matter of minutes was quite tiring.

Watching the Uchiha jump out of the clearing, Kakashi couldn't control the sudden surge of anger that surged through him, releasing a sigh of relief when his last student decided to leave as well, rushing out of the clearing so that Kakashi was the last one remaining.

Kakashi glared at nothing in particular, vowing to train Sasuke into what a _true_ shinobi should be. Far exceeding that filthy _demon brat_! He vowed to avenge his fallen teammate and sensei by training the last Uchiha with all he had! He would bring down the demon who defeated his sensei at any cost.

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 **AN: As i said before, first two to three chapters may be slow. But the story will begin to build up by the end of third or so chapter. I will be taking suggestions for future pairings in the comment section. If there are not enough suggestions given, then i will create my own poll and will be taking a vote for pairings. I hope to post regular updates for this story, but if i fail to do so, then it is because i am working on another story. Thank you to all who choose to continue reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Masashi Kishimoto**

 **WARNINGS: Severe Kakashi bashing (I'll ease up on him in later chapters if i get too many complaints about his oocness and bashing). Minor language and violence.**

 **AN: The vote for pairings is still open. I hope to have some suggestions by the fifth or so chapter, if not, then I'll create a poll.**

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Sakura sat under a shady tree in training ground 7, absently flipping through the thin pages of her new medic book given to her by her sensei the day before. She had decided to arrive a few minutes earlier than she usually did, deciding she needed the extra time to mull around the previous day's.

Closing her book with a sigh, she couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that her blonde teammate had been right in saying that this book was of no use to her. All it had was lists of common poisons in Konoha and how to properly bandage small lacerations or wounds. These were things that were taught in the first year of academy, things that she knew and had no use for a book that had the exact same thing she knew in it. Kakashi-sensei really didn't think much before he decided to give the book to her, that was for sure.

At the thought of her sensei, she couldn't control the sudden wave of disappointment that entered her body. Kakashi was once a respectable jounin of Konoha, and her sensei whom she looked up to in order to learn the way of the shinobi. But so far, all she has learned from him is how to cast aside someone who needs help in exchange for a prodigy. She had no doubt that Naruto was more skilled than he let off. But the fact that Kakashi still tossed him aside along with herself for Sasuke made her extremely upset with the man, and question his qualifications for even being an instructor for aspiring shinobi. Shinobi were suppose to be respectable and honorable people, not showing favoritism to one student out of three. No, a true shinobi was someone who didn't abandon their comrades, was loyal to their village, pushed through any and all obstacles in order to reach their goal, and overall someone who stood up for what was right. Someone like-

"Ah Sakura, I didn't expect you to be here so early." came a sudden voice that interrupted her train of thought, causing her to jump in surprise as she searched for the source, only to find her blonde haired teammate wearing something she could not recall the blonde to have ever worn.

Replacing the usual bright and loud orange jumpsuit, Naruto was now clad in all black with a few white bandages wrapped around his ankles and arms. He now wore a tight black sleeveless muscle shirt with a high collar, allowing a clear view of his muscular biceps, though his right one was covered in white bandages from just below his shoulder to a few inches above his elbow. Instead of orange, he now had black ANBU styled pants and black standard shinobi sandals with bandages around his ankles. He also wore black fingerless gloves with a metal plate on his hands, a silver ring barely visible on his right ring finger. To her surprise, around his neck he wore the blue crystal necklace of the Shodaime. She took brief notice that his hitai-ate was no longer around his forehead, rather around his neck, allowing his blonde bangs to droop enough to obscure majority of his forehead and part of his eyes. Sakura had to admit, he now looked like a serious shinobi.

Once finished with her -cough- visually undressing -cough- of the blonde, his previous statement finally caught her attention,

"What do you mean? You're always last to show up, before Kakashi-sensei of course, so how would you know if I were earlier than usual?" she asked skeptically, praying that he hadn't been stalking her during her morning routine. That would definitely earn him a good smack to the head.

Naruto took a seat beside her, though a comfortable distance away so as not to invade her personal space, "I'm actually here a few hours before we are expected to arrive. I have a regular morning routine to do all my warm ups before you guys arrive so as not to disturb anyone, given everyone is either asleep or just waking up by the time I'm done." he stated nonchalantly, earning a look of disbelief from the pinkette.

"How can you possibly be here that early when we always see you running from the direction of the village just a few minutes before Kakashi-sensei arrives?" she asked, unable to believe that the blonde she knew, who acted almost as lazy as Shikamaru at times, could be up so early just for warm ups.

He shrugged, leaning against the trunk of the tree as he basked in the warming sun's rays slipping through the leaves of the tree, "I usually meditate here before either of you two show up. When I sense one of your chakra signatures, I hide and make my appearance once I've finished meditating, which just so happens to be a few minutes before Kakashi arrives. It's sheer coincidence that I show up just before he does. My meditation just takes up a lot of time before it allows me to be fully synchronized with nature. I'm working on decreasing the amount of time it takes me so i am able to connect with my surroundings in the midst of battle." he drawled lazily, a content smile spreading across his face as a cool breeze passed by them, allowing a few summer leaves to fall down onto the ground.

Sakura wanted to ask more about his meditation, but the expression on his face made her still her tongue. If she hadn't believed that he could synchronize with nature through meditation before, she sure did now. He just looked so at peace with the sun's rays on his face, not bothering him in the slightest. Nor did the occasional noises from the hidden insects or animals disturb his peace.

Sakura couldn't help but stare, never before having seen such a normal expression on his face. All his usual expressions being large pearly white grins or dopey squints of the eye, as though he couldn't see. It was somewhat refreshing to see some form of normality from the blonde. It made him that much more bearable.

Deciding to let him be, she decided to get back to her book, as useless as it was. As she reopened the thin cover, she heard an irritated snort from the boy beside her, causing her attention to once again focus back on the blonde who now sat up just to stare down with annoyance at the small book.

"Why are you still reading that? You know you can't learn anything useful from that thing." he grunted, glaring at the book as if it had insulted him. Sakura rolled her eyes, but her lips pulled up into a small smile at his concern,

"I know that baka. We were taught these things the first year of the academy. But I don't have anything else to help me with medical ninjutsu, so why not brush up on old topics, ne?" she shrugged, not even believing her own words as she waved the book around for emphasis. Naruto snorted,

"Old topics indeed. You are a blooming kunoichi , therefore you should be learning something to aid you in your journey to become the best. Which i have faith that you will become." he stated as though it should have been obvious to her, causing a faint blush to rise to her cheeks at his compliment, whether he meant it as one or not.

Book long forgotten, she couldn't help but revert to old habits, taking a piece of her pink hair and fiddling with it between her fingers as she glanced over at her teammate, "You know...I don't get compliments like that very often. I appreciate your faith in me, Naruto." she admitted, a light blush dusting her cheeks at the sudden grin that spread across Naruto's face. However, instead of the large, full toothed grin she had become familiar with, this one held sincerity and was actually quite charming.

"Well it's true. You have great potential to be one of the best kunochi of our time. You just need to have proper training." he explained, taking note of the strands of hair being played with between her fingers. Facing towards her, he reached out suddenly, removing her headband in a quick but careful movement.

Sakura cried out in surprise, having been listening intently to his words when all of a sudden her bright pink hair was falling in front of her eyes, no longer being held back by her hitai-ate, "W-What are you doing-!" she growled, only for her face to grow bright pink when nimble tan fingers began brushing her hair behind her ears, clearing her vision. Though that only seemed to make her face grow hotter as she now found herself staring into sky blue eyes which held deep concentration as he continued to fiddle with her hair, untucking a few strands from their current position so that they fell over her left eye.

Picking up her discarded headband, Naruto replaced hit atop her head, though not so far back as she had it placed before. Moving back into his previous sitting position, he smiled to himself as he admired his work. Taking a kunai from his weapon pouch, he held it just before her eyes so as to allow her a view of his fine work.

Sakura gasped as she saw her reflection. Instead of her hair framing her forehead like before, it now lie in a low ponytail lying over her right shoulder, her bangs swept to the side across her forehead and slightly obscuring her left eye, also creating perfect coverage of her large forehead as well as allowing her to see properly, unlike her past hairstyle choice as a child. Her headband now tied properly atop her head rather than merely acting as a hair accessory. She had to admit that she was quite pleased with the finishing job.

"Wow. It looks great! Thank you!" she chirped, giving him a brief hug, pushing down the heat that rose to her cheeks at the contact.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Don't worry about it. I just thought it would suit you. You always had your hair pulled real far back with your headband, so I thought it would be better if you could actually see it. Your name is Sakura after all, so it should only be natural to have a view of your hair rather than trying to push it out of the way." he grinned, once again complimenting her without the intention of doing so, causing her to blush.

"T-Thanks." she mumbled, bringing her knees to her chest as they once again waited in silence for their last teammate and sensei.

The silence wasn't uncomfortable, Sakura quite enjoyed it. Just as she was about to doze off due to its peacefulness, she heard rustling from her side. She turned to find Naruto searching through his left weapon pouch, pulling out a small cream colored scroll and tossing it over to her. She caught it with ease, eyeing it curiously,

"What's this?" she asked.

"It's a medic scroll. In there are beginner tools for aspiring medic nins. Things such as bandages, healing creams, a book on world wide poisons and natural antidotes for said poisons. I also have some copies of Tsunade Senju's old medic notes for you on how to channel chakra to create a chakra scalpel. It acts like a kunai but it's made out of pure chakra. If used correctly and with enough control, can cause damage to muscle tissue even if only a small wound was inflicted. Tsunade-baa-chan taught me the technique, but since my reserves are so large, I am unable to teach it as sufficiently or in the same way as she can. That's why I asked her for her notes on it rather than giving you my own. Now, this next scroll is-"

"W-Wait just a second! You've met _the_ Lady Tsunade of the sannin?! And even got her to teach you? When? How?" Sakura spluttered in disbelief. She just couldn't believe the blonde's luck!

Naruto only shrugged, "I met her when I was younger on my birthday. I was in the hospital and the Hokage called her in to heal me. It was just before she left the village for good, i think. She taught me that technique because she wanted me to be better protected. She also left me her notes for practice on my chakra control. Her techniques require the user to be in complete control of his or her chakra, so she left her notes to help me out. Aside from her gambling and drinking problems, she wasn't that bad. Her notes were a big help to me when I finally decided to take my career as a shinobi seriously. I'll have to thank her at the chunin exams." a small smile pulled at his lips as he thought back to the first person to ever help him.

"You were in the hospital on your birthday? What happened, how did you get hurt? And are you saying Tsunade-sama is coming to Konoha to watch the exams?!" Sakura asked with wide eyes. Was she really going to see one of the Legendary Three, here in Konoha?! Her attention was brought back to her teammate when she noticed he hadn't answered her. He had been speaking so freely with her not a moment ago, what had happened? She jumped slightly when Naruto suddenly began rummaging through his bag again, a distant look in his eye,

"Yeah, she'll be coming to the exams, at least that's what she said. She said that she'll come back here for the exams to take back her necklace," he gestured to the crystal necklace around his neck, "She gave it to me before she left and told me that she'll be back for it once I made chunin. Old hag even threatened to punch me through a few walls if i didn't make it through the whole exam." he said fondly, finally finding what he was looking for in his weapon pouch as he pulled out an oak brown scroll with a red swirl in the center.

Sakura stared at her teammate silently. He had completely ignored her question about him being in the hospital. Sure it was his business that he didn't have to share with her, but the look in his eyes told Sakura that it was an important event in his life. Whether a good or bad one, she doubts that she'll ever know.

Turning to the pinkette, Naruto held out the scroll from his pouch and began to explain what it was once she took it, "This scroll is a jutsu that I created myself. It's an earth jutsu. I wasn't so sure whether it would fit your elemental affinity or not, so I also brought along chakra paper for you to try so we can see. If you wind up with a different affinity, I have four other scrolls for the affinity you may wind up with. But we'll have to wait until Sasuke and Kakashi show up and go off to train. I want to show you firsthand what the jutsus do so you are able to get an idea as to how to perform them. Oh, and one more thing!" he said, reaching back into his pouch **(that's a deep pouch** **dammit!)**. Pulling out a senbon launcher and a pack of senbon, he handed them over to Sakura who wordlessly took them as she still eyed the previous scroll,

"Last thing, I swear. Tenten from team Gai gave this to me on my last birthday, but senbon just aren't my thing. I prefer my swords personally, and I figured you could make better use of them than me. I realized you are more of a close ranged fighter like me, but if an enemy specialized in long ranged attacks, this would come in handy." he instructed, smiling at the silent girl once he finished. They sat in silence for a while, causing Naruto to worry that he had upset or overwhelmed her in some way.

"Gomen, Sakura. Did I say something to upset you? Do you not want to train in medic ninjutsu? If not then I could create some ninjutsu for you, or maybe I could- ACK!" he cried out in surprise when he felt two strong arms wrap themselves around his neck, faint sniffling barely being muffled into the crook of his neck.

"Arigatou, Naruto! No one has ever done something like this for me! I'm happy!" Sakura sniffled, a large grin breaking out on her face. Rubbing at her eyes as she pulled away from the equally smiling blonde.

"No problem Sakura. I just wanted you to gain some form of training before the exams, seeing as how Kakashi gave you nothing but crap for training. There aren't many kunoichi who have made it to being legends, but I believe you could be one of the few who have. You have amazing raw strength, you are incredibly intelligent, you are kind, and you are going to become great. If I can help you get there, then I will be your proudest supporter, if you would let me?" Sakura smiled, her tears all dried up as she bowed her head,

"I would be honored to have you as my supporter. So long as you become my instructor first." Naruto gave a foxy grin, bowing his head in return,

"Of course. I would be honored, Sakura-chan. Together, we will become even greater than the legendary sannin. But we would need a third in order to live up to and exceed their legacy. Don't you agree, Sasuke?"

Sakura stared in shock when their raven haired teammate jumped down from a tree a few feet away, wearing an unreadable expression as he walked over to them.

"I don't get it. One day you're dead last, but now you are using a technique of jounin level, and inspiring a teammate who had no faith in herself. Why are you so different? I don't understand." Sasuke frowned in irritation. Naruto's expression grew serious as he gazed up at the raven who looked as though he would explode if an answer wasn't given to him soon,

"I will not deny that I truly was 'dead last' at one point. However, I was able to see that it was getting me no where, and I was still unable to protect my precious people. After seeing just how useless I was to not only myself but others, I decided to push myself to the farthest extent I could manage. I used any and all resources I was able to gather to my advantage, and with years of practice and brutal training, I was able to gain all the power I have now. That shunshin that I used yesterday was one of the first jutsu I was able to perform on my own without any sensei to help me. This of course was back in my first year of academy, so you can probably guess where my power is at this moment." he explained, chuckling slightly at Sakura's and Sasuke's expressions. Sasuke's suddenly hardened,

"Yesterday you said that until I gave up my revenge, I will only bring harm to myself and others. How would you know anything about that?" he asked accusingly, causing the blonde to sigh.

"I can't tell you all the details of what I am about to say, but maybe one day I can," Naruto began, leaning back against the tree as he took the time to gather his thoughts, turning his gaze back to his teammates, "Earlier on when i was younger, i held a large resentment for Konoha and it's villagers." he stated simply, gaining two shocked expressions from his teammates.

"What?! Why?" Sakura asked, Sasuke nodding his head in agreement. Both were unable to see the blonde holding any sort of negative emotion towards anyone.

Naruto sighed, "I can't tell you much as to 'why', but what i can tell you is that i am the one person who understands your pain, Sasuke. I was shunned, beaten, starved, and brutally assaulted by the villagers. Not just civilian, but shinobi as well. I was thrown out of the orphanage when i was only 4, having to sleep on the streets and eat from the garbage. Unlike you, i never had a family, Sasuke. I was alone for my entire life, and for that, i resented the villagers. I resented the fact that they could beat me all they wanted, and i was given no clue as to why." he snorted, smiling at the ground,

"I can't even tell you how they reacted when i ever dared to ask them "why". It only got worse. No business would sell to me, and would always throw me out into the street for even gazing into their shops. That orange jumpsuit was the only thing they allowed me to buy, but at the price of five or more for each one i bought. I was sold rotten meats and vegetables whenever i was actually allowed in the damn stores. I remember how the baggers would always put my bread and eggs underneath any canned goods i bought." he sighed, grateful that his oncoming bitterness wasn't rising unnecessarily through his tale. No matter how much forgiveness is given, the pain will always be there.

"N-Naruto….I….We had no idea you had to live like tha-"

"You didn't know because i never bothered to tell you guys. If you hadn't noticed, until yesterday, i was still just a dobe and you two hated my guts." he grinned, though showed no signs of bitterness over the matter.

Sakura bowed her head, "Gomen. I had forgotten for a moment that we weren't ever on real speakings terms until now." Naruto grinned up at her,

"But it's nice right? I'm not as annoying as you thought, huh?" he chuckled when she couldn't keep down her smile.

"Yeah, i guess it is nice. All the others teams were always closer than us, and already on friendly terms even in academy." she sighed before giving the two fond smiles, "But i'm glad that we have something like that now."

"Yes, and we'll be even closer once I start your training." Naruto beamed, pleased to finally have a teammate who would tolerate him rather than insult him like the rest of the village.

"So it's true. You're really going to try and train her?" asked their up til then silent teammate, catching the others' attention.

Regaining composure, Naruto nodded, "Yes. Since she is being denied training by Kakashi, i feel that it is only right for me to take on her training. Her potential is just wasting away on this team, and i can't have that. Especially not with upcoming exams, where she will need any and all skills i can provide her with. That and Tsunade-baa-chan would kill me for not helping." he muttered the last part to himself, pouting when Sakura seemed to have heard and giggled.

"Hn."

Naruto smiled suddenly, "You know, Sasuke," he began slyly, smirking at the raven's uneasy expression, "If you wanted, i could possibly train you as well. If you wanted that is." he drawled easily, grinning knowingly at the raven's doubtful expression.

"And pray tell why I would possibly want your training over Kakashi's, an actual sensei and jounin?"

The blonde sighed, "I never said you had to choose my training over Kakashi's. All i said was that i would train you if you wanted. I don't care if you still train with Hatake and just take some pointers from me. I was just offering my training to you out of consideration that you are my teammate. Who knows, maybe you might actually learn something from Kakashi." he shrugged, suddenly growing serious as he stood to face the raven,

"However, i will tell you one thing about my training. I will not train you like Kakashi, or any other sensei for that matter. I will train you as i see fit, and in what i think your body can handle. I will not give you more power unless i feel you've earned it and are ready to use it properly. You will not receive random jutsu that i have copied from scrolls in the library.

"As you have heard from when i was speaking to Sakura, I create my own jutsus, and will only teach you things that i have created especially for you and only you. Kakashi may know over a 1000 jutsu, but i can create that and more from just learning your fighting style and nature affinity. I've already got over 50 fire based jutsus alone in my inventory, and can make many more that would better suit you." Naruto then crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing a bit,

"But know this, Sasuke. Should you take my training and use it against the innocent or me, you will be cut down in no more than an instant. I will not train you just to go and wreak havoc on the village or your comrades," by now Sasuke was sweating uncontrollably under the immense pressure the blonde gave out, barely able to stand as he continued to listen,

"You may be seeking revenge, but should that be your only goal for taking my training opportunity, you will be sorely disappointed in finding that you will gain nothing from me. I created my jutsu to protect those who cannot fight, defend those who are in need, and to serve the village of Konoha. Should you go against any of these, i will see to it that anything you may learn from me will do nothing but destroy you. Now, think carefully on my offer. Are you truly ready to serve your village, put your life's goal for revenge aside, and become our teammate?" Relaxing the narrow of his brow, Naruto left the question to remain in the air as he turned back to Sakura who had by then gather all the tools he had given her in her petite arms.

He smiled, "I see you're ready to go then, good. Now, Kakashi should be here for Sasuke any minute now. Once he's here, you and i will find an empty training ground and i will test you for your nature affinity. Then we will continue on from there with creating your personalized taijutsu style." he listed, grinning at her eager nod as she gripped onto her tools expectantly.

"Hai! I am ready for training, sensei!"

"Yo! You called Sakura?" a voice from above all of a sudden called out, causing Sakura to jump and nearly drop all her equipment. Naruto spotted this and smirked. He would definitely make her more aware of her surroundings with his training, and what better way to do that than jump out of every dark corner and scare her senseless! Yes, he was definitely going to enjoy training her!

Kakashi eye smiled down at the girl, only for the items in her hand to catch his attention, "Maa, what might those be?"

Sakura shifted nervously, "Ano, this is my new equipment that i got from my sensei." she answered, unsure if she should be telling her former, unbeknownst to him, sensei of her new sensei and his training offer. However, a reassuring nod from her blonde teammate calmed her nerves.

Kakashi continued to eye smile, although it seemed to turn somewhat mocking as he continued to gaze down at his pink haired student, "Oh, are they now? Might i ask who this mysterious sensei may be, hm? Do they truly plan on teaching you anything? Surely you liked that little medic book i went out of my way to get you." he asked in a teasing, condescending tone, causing Sakura to scowl, finally able to see just how awful the man was as a sensei. He was practically laughing at her!

"If you must know, _sensei,_ " Kakashi's eye narrowed, "my new sensei will be teaching me some real medical ninjutsu! He even gave me this senbon shooter to aid me in long ranged attacks. A much better sensei than you ever were!" she shouted, unaware of the dangerous look the scarecrow was giving her. Only when she felt a looming presence over her did she shake in fear at the KI(killing intent) being directed at her.

"You will show me respect, gennin. I was appointed as your sensei, and you will only be taught what I myself teach you. Now give me those tools." Kakashi hissed, reaching out to snatch away her belonging when he stumbled back. Wheezing out a strangled breath as all the air left his lungs by a solid open palmed blow. He glared up at the blonde who stood protectively in front of the cowering pinkette

Blue eyes narrowed dangerously, "You will not lay a hand on my student's head, Hatake."

"A single eye widened, "What! You-?"

"Yes. I am her new sensei, and i will be taking on her training from here on until the chunin exams in a month's time."

Kakashi snorted, pushing himself onto shaky legs, "You may have been able to knock me down just now, but you are no where near my skill. You simply caught me off guard, a cowardice move." he smirked maliciously, glaring when the blonde merely scoffed at his display,

"I was able to knock you down due to the sheer speed of my attack. Call it being ' _caught off guard_ ' if you want, but even that is a blow to your title as a respectable jounin. As a shinobi, you should always be aware of your surroundings, should there ever be an enemy near by." Naruto looked on with a disapproving expression, only making the silver haired jounin growl dangerously,

"And intimidating a genin with KI? A jounin's presence alone should be enough intimidation. Maybe you've lost your touch?" he chuckled humorlessly, his expression softening only when he turned back to face a still stunned Sakura,

"Now that Kakashi's here, we'll be leaving now. Do you have everything you need Sakura?" Sakura jumped slightly but smiled,

"I actually missed breakfast today. I got here so early that i completely forgot about my sliced carrots in the fridge. If you don't mind, i would like to go home to get them."

Naruto rose an eyebrow, frowning slightly, "Sliced carrots? That won't help you as a kunoichi at all Sakura. Most vegetables are just water, and a growing body needs more to digest if you're going to be training. If you're hungry, then i know just the place for a filling meal." he grinned suddenly before turning and walking off a few steps, looking over his shoulder suddenly,

"Oh and Sakura-chan?"

"H-Hai?"

A large grin broke out on Naruto's face as he hopped onto a high tree branch, "Rule number one of my training: Always keep up with your sensei! Meet you at Ichiraku's!" he laughed as he sped off into the trees, laughing harder when he heard her call out his name angrily, giving chase into the forest towards the village. He couldn't wait for the fun he was going to have with training the pinkette. Now, to make sure she didn't catch up to him and claw off his head any time soon!

Sasuke couldn't help but shake his head, a faint smile pulling at his lips as he watched his teammates rush off into the trees. Those two will always be childish at heart, no matter the circumstance. His musing was cut short however when he heard rough shifting behind him, turning to find Kakashi brushing off his clothes angrily as he glared at the ground.

"Damn brats." the cyclops cursed under his breath, earning a disapproving frown from his last student.

 _'You and i both know you deserved that, Kakashi. You had no right to mock Sakura and try and take away her belongings. A childish move on your part i'd say.'_ Sasuke thought, snapping to attention when the jounin's glare turned to him.

"Now listen Sasuke, no matter what that brat says, i have more experience and skill. If he wishes to train that girl, he can do it. They could go and get themselves killed in the exams for all i care. What's important is that you focus all your time and attention on your training with me. I will make sure you gain all my power and pass those chunin exams without fail. Let your so called teammates rot, for your promotion is much more important." he snapped before recomposing himself, pulling out his orange book to calm himself. That filthy demon brat really knew how to push his buttons.

Sasuke flinched at the jounin's words, feeling a creeping sensation of disgust crawl up his spine. No matter how much he himself berated the two, wishing harm or death on their well being was beyond traitorous and disgusting. It was without a doubt, crossing the line.

Looking to the man's back, he once again felt the piercing feeling of doubt encase his body. Was he truly going to allow this man to take on his training? At this point in time, Sasuke would even consider a rock more qualified for teaching genin than the jounin that stood before him. Thinking back to his blonde teammate's proposal, he couldn't help but feel the sincerity in Naruto's words. He promised to train him, so long as he had good intentions for the village and his comrades.

Sasuke frowned. According to Naruto, revenge was not an intention he could have if he wished to receive his training. Sasuke cursed, how could he just give up his revenge like that? Did the blonde even know what he was asking of him?

 _"Earlier on when i was younger, i held a large resentment for Konoha and it's villagers…. I was shunned, beaten, starved, and brutally assaulted by the villagers…..No one would sell to me, and would throw me out on the streets for even gazing into their shops…..Unlike you, i never had a family, Sasuke."_

Naruto's words rang through his ears, causing a tightening in his chest. That dobe told him about all the villagers did to him, yet he never once spoke of any revenge he might have taken out on them for it. For all he knew, Naruto hasn't done a thing in retaliation to the villagers, the people who beat and shunned him from an early age on up. But how could he just go on with life without taking revenge on those who hurt him? On those who took away everything from him and just left him for dead! How? How could he just not care?

"Sasuke?"

The raven jumped, his thoughts still a jumbled mess as he looked over toward his sensei who by now was a good feet away from him, looking back at him with concern.

 _'Ch'. Concern for the only student you have left.'_ he thought mockingly, "What is it?"

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow, "I said that i will be taking you to a more secluded training ground for your training. I don't want anyone to get a look at your moves just yet, so i took extra precaution. Follow me. Once we've arrived, we will find out your nature affinity, then i will be teaching you my taijutsu style. It's still early, so we may be able to get to more if we hurry there." he listed off as he continued down the path out of the training grounds, expecting the other to follow.

Taking a glance back in the direction his two other teammates went off to, he had half a mind to follow. _Half a mind,_ that is.

Turning back towards his sensei, Sasuke began to follow him down the worn dirt path, trying to block out all thoughts of a blonde teammate in particular. Sakura may want his training, but he would not be so easily persuaded into being taught by a genin, one that was a dobe not too long ago. If Kakashi proved to be a sufficient instructor for  
him, then he could finally dismiss Naruto's offer without a problem. Now, all he had to do was wait and see how this training would help him with his goal.

* * *

 **AN: I'm planning to make this the last slow chapter. In the next chapter, i hope to have some training already done with and closer to the chunin exams. I'm thinking about what to do about Orochimaru and whether is should have him still give Sasuke the curse mark or not. If anyone has something they would like me to change or add, just leave a comment!**


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